Salado Lady Eagles are District 23-4A champions after beating the China Spring Lady Cougars on their home court in a five-set match.

The Lady Eagles won the first two sets 25-20 and 25-23. The Lady Cougars won the third and fourth set to force the tie-breaker 25-18 and 25-23.

In the deciding set, Salado took an early 7-4 lead but China Spring fought back to tie the set at 11-11. Haleigh Wilk gave an assist to Livia Niu and Grace Clemons served an ace to go up 13-11. Wilk gave an assist to Reese Rich to break China Spring’s service and make the score 14-12. The Lady Eagles won on a block by Niu.

In the first set, Salado jumped out to a 3-1 lead on Wilk’s service, thanks to a kill by Niu and an ace by Wilk.

China Spring dogged the heels of the Lady Eagkes, getting within one, 9-8 before Salado extended to a 18-12 lead with kills by Wilk, a block for a kill by Nie, and Wilk setting to Reese Rich for five kills in the run.

The Lady Cougars chipped away at the lead and closed within three, 22-19 but Salado won 25-20 on Sara Ellis’s service on a kill by Macy Morris with an assist from Niu.

China Spring opened the second set with 9-3 lead before a four-point surge on Niu’s service that included two aces to get to within on 9-8.

The Lady Cougars led by two, 15-13, but Wilk served for four aces in one run to give Salado a 17-16 lead.

The Lady Eagles held on, with China Spring getting to within one point at three  different times, 22-21, 23-22 and 24-23.

Salado won the second set on a dink into a void by Wilk for the point.

China Spring controlled the third set throughout, leading by as much as seven at 22-15 and holding off the Lady Eagles for a 25-18 win.

The fourth set was far more competitively with four lead changes in the set. China Spring took over at the end, three straight points for a come-from-behind wind to force the tie-breaking set.

Wilk led the girls in serving with 7 aces. Jordan Ferguson and Clemons followed with 2 aces each and Rich and Niu each had an ace,

Morris led the girls with 15 kills, followed by ich, 11 kills, Niu, 9 kills, Wilk, 8 kills, Elsie Law, 2 kills and Haley Brown, a1 kill,

Niu had 5 blocks to lead the girls, followed by Morris, 3 blocks, Rich, 2 blocks and Wilk and Brown, 1 block each.

Wilk had 26 assists, Niu had 11 assists, Rich had 2 assists and Ellis, Ferguson, Law, Brown and Clemons each had 1 assist.

Wilk led Salado with 16 digs, followed by Rich, 13, Ellis, 11, Niu, 10, Ferguson, 7, Brown, 5 and Law and Katey Bartek, 2 each.